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Whew…It has been a journey! I haven’t written in a bit, because frankly I haven’t had the energy. I have pushed myself beyond anything I have ever done. I have achieved some next level stuff that I never thought possible. It will be hard to explain, but here goes; Fatigue was something I wrote about a lot in this blog. I referenced it as a handicap, or as something that was a destination. I have come to the point that fatigue is nothing more than a motivator. I feel it begin to set in, and I step on the gas. That is something I have never been able to do before. I still get just as tired as I did before, but now, it just pisses me off, and makes me want to kick ....

It’s been a few days since I have checked in. I have been training my little butt off this past week! Nothing too exciting to report, this past week is pretty much a blur. I had some ups and downs, and have been dealing with a lot of little injuries. Nothing too serious, but I cannot think of a part of my body that isn’t at least somewhat injured. This just gives me that much more respect and appreciation for what these Thai trainers deal with day in and day out, month after month, year after year. You just learn to accept the fact that you are inured, and adapt your fight style to accommodate it. The problem with that approach in training, is that it is hard to ....

I have spent the past 4 days training private sessions with Sawat. I stopped going to actual class because the running was just not letting my foot heal. I miss the sparring, but other than that, I get a lot more out of private sessions than class. Sawat was my very first trainer when I started coming to Thailand. Tiger Muay Thai used to make you start in the beginner class, regardless of your skill level. You couldn’t move up to intermediate or advanced until the trainers gave you their approval. This is a practice they have gotten away from, but one I think they should reconsider. I mention this because Sawat was a trainer in the beginner class back then, and I stopped ....

A Couple Days Off: Crashed my motorbike, Got Jumped, and had an amazing time all in one weekend! 2 ½ days off seemed like a lifetime. I didn’t do the afternoon class on Friday, and took the rest of the weekend off to nurse some wounds, and explore the island of Phuket. I began my exploration of the island on Friday afternoon, by taking my motorbike down to Rawai. Rawai is on the Southern tip of Phuket, and is home to Rawai Beach, and a party district. It is not anything like Patong, which is partying on steroids. It’s more of a laidback, island feel. There are streets lined with rows of bars that are all open to the outdoors. There is the ‘Stumble ....

I often chuckle to myself when I hobble back to my room, in pain from the day’s training, hurting in places I didn’t know I had. I whisper to myself…’What I did on my vacation.’ Some enjoy laying on the beach, while others love to go sightseeing for vacation. I enjoy getting punched in the face. I am literally in a tropical paradise, and I spend most of my time in my room recuperating and preparing for my next training session. I could not possibly be happier than I am right now, however. There is something about Muay Thai that makes me whole. I often wonder what this experience would have been like when I was younger, and less prone to injury. To be ....

It’s been a few days since I last checked in. Quite frankly, it’s because I really had nothing to check in about. My foot got worse the more I was on it, and I caught a horrible head and chest cold. I can’t 100% blame the cold on Robert (The head Trainer for the Advanced group), but I can’t dismiss it either. 3 days in a row, he sent us out running in the rain. It wasn’t raining hard, but at least half a dozen trainers in different parts of the complex asked us why we were running in the rain. When I told them Robert told us to, they ALL said, ‘Him crazy…you get sick’. Sure enough…I get sick. I didn’t just sit on my ass ....

Next time I start thinking about leaving my wife for two months to come here and train, she should make me come read these blog posts to remind me of the pain I am going through.
Holy Smokes, my foot hurts!
It was throbbing all night from the beating I put it through yesterday, and I damn near fell on my ass when I got out of bed this morning. It took a good half hour to warm it up in the shower again just to be able to walk out the door.
About half way through our morning run, the pain became excruciating. This was about as close to quitting as I have come since I’ve been here. As I was about to quit, I got lapped (Not passed…LAPPED) by a girl in our class. She is a little toughey, ....

BACK IN ACTION!!! When I woke up this morning, and got out of bed, I could hardly put any weight on my foot. It was really sore, and had actually gotten a little bit MORE swollen than it was yesterday. I had dim hopes of being able to train today, but I sat in a hot shower, and rotated my ankle for about 20 minutes. When I got out, it was still sore, and a lot looser. I took an ibuprofen, put some anti-inflam cream on it, wrapped it, and headed out the door to train. I wouldn’t exactly call what I did today ‘running’, but I did go on the run, as is required by the trainers. It was more of a trot with swinging arms. I usually make it around the complex 4-5 ....

No training today. My right foot is swollen to the point that I cannot run on it. I think I could do everything in class, with the exception of the 20 minute run to start class (If I only kicked pads with one foot). The trainers are anal about the fact that you MUST run in order to be in class…unless you are a girl of course. Girls get away with murder with the trainers. There were two of them just sitting around this morning while all the other students were out on the run. (I went and watched class this morning…that is what a Muay Thai Junkie I am lol). In the past, I went to the head trainer and told him my knee was hurt, and asked if I could skip the run. His response; ....

Today was a bit of a bounce-back day, as I was able to get back on track. I really struggled yesterday mentally, but came back sharp today. It took me a bit though. This morning, it seemed like I just couldn’t get out of second gear. My mind was in it. My body just wasn’t wanting to push. Eventually I got going though, and had a pretty good day of training. There were a lot of new people in class today, which made things interesting. I call the boxing ring the Shark Tank. Every class, they select either the 4 or 6 best guys in the class (Depending on how big the class is), and send them up into the ring. We rotate with one another each round. Sometimes, they will watch ....

Ben C.

Great place to get in shape, train and learn mixed martial arts. Staff are awesome, informative and motivating people. I really enjoy all the different types of classes they offer through out the day. Whatever my schedule is, I can find a class to attend and enjoy. Keep it up all!!

Monica K.

Mike Stidham is an amazing person, he is motivating, and helpful. I wish he'd open a location down here in Southern Utah since his location in Salt Lake is the best Utah has. I will always recommend his business. Plus it is centrally located so it is easy to get from any part of the Salt Lake Valley.

Kelly S.

So far I’ve only taken kickboxing and boxing and love both! All the instructors are awesome! All classes are for everyone regardless of fitness level. Just come and do your best! Very inviting gym! Love it!